Houston Airports roll out innovative fleet of fire rescue vehicles

tech to the rescue

High-tech firetrucks are ready to serve the area that includes George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Photo courtesy of Houston Airports

Houston Airports and the Houston Fire Department will roll out a new fleet of eco-friendly and health-promoting vehicles this summer.

Four new Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) trucks will be deployed at HFD Stations 99 and 92 near IAH. The vehicles were purchased with $4.6 million from the Airport Improvement Fund and will replace a fleet purchased in 2006.

One truck is already operating HFD Station 99. Others are expected to be operational by August, according to Houston Airports.

"The safety of passengers and crew at Bush Airport is our top priority," Steve Runge, director of operations for Houston Airports, says in a statement. "These new ARFF trucks represent a significant investment in the latest firefighting technology, ensuring the Houston Fire Department has the resources it needs to respond swiftly and effectively to any aircraft emergency while utilizing eco-friendly foam."

The vehicles feature several innovative features including:

  • Synthetic fluorine-free foam that extinguishes fires with minimal environmental impact
  • High-capacity water pumps that deliver up to 1,200 gallons of water per minute
  • Specialized rescue equipment for rescuing passengers and crew from crashes
  • Rosenbauer re-circulation air scrubber system that reduces firefighter’s exposure to carcinogenic toxins

They can carry 3,000 gallons of water, 400 gallons of foam, 450 pounds of Purple K dry-chemical and 460 pounds of Halotron to extinguish fires and rescue passengers and crew, according to Houston Airports.

"From the health of the firefighters to protecting people and property at Bush Airport, we appreciate this investment by Houston Airports,” Ronald Krusleski, senior captain and ARFF coordinator for the Houston Fire Department, adds.

Houston Airports also plans to build a 21,000-square-foot facility to replace the current HFD 92 at IAH that will include six apparatus bays, fire inspector and administrative offices, and direct access to the airfield, according to a statement. It'll be funded by $30 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Airport Infrastructure Grants for Fiscal Year 2024 from the FAA. Hobby Airport also received $15 million to demolish and reconstruct existing ARFF buildings.

Last year Houston Airports also received $12.5 million for projects aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The projects included replacing existing generators and conducting an energy audit.
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The renovations plans include updating both Houston airports. Photo courtesy of Visit Houston

Houston Airports lines up $30 million for restroom renovations, including tech upgrades

coming soon

Houston Airports is making a major investment in helping travelers take care of one of their most basic needs. Over the next two years, the agency will invest $30 million in upgrading the bathrooms at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and at William P. Hobby Airport (HOU).

The money will be used to upgrade restrooms throughout Hobby and at IAH’s Terminals A and D. Houston Airports notes the restrooms at IAH are about 20 years old. Houston Mayor John Whitmire had made the upgrades one of his priorities.

Plans for the renovations include replacing floors, walls, stalls, lighting, sinks, and counters. The new stalls will be larger, with enough room for a carry-on suitcase and a shelf to hold a person’s bag, and will better comply with ADA regulations. Even better, occupancy sensors for each stall will mean not having to look for feet when trying to determine if one is available.

“Houston Airports joins Mayor Whitmire in a shared strategic priority to make our passengers happy. Earlier this year, the mayor challenged Houston Airports to prioritize the renovation of our aging restrooms at both airports,” Houston Airports director of aviation Jim Szczesniak said in a statement. “We are committed to exceeding expectations and ensuring that Houston Airports offers a world-class travel experience for all passengers. The restroom renovation project is a significant step forward in achieving that goal.”

Overall, the upgrades will include:
  • IAH Terminal A: 18 restrooms, seven family restrooms, and a companion care changing room
  • IAH Terminal D: Five restrooms, one restroom in the Mother’s Room
  • HOU: 9 restrooms each in Departures and the Ticketing Lobby

A $10 million grant from the FAA will help subsidize the cost of the renovations.

As for IAH Terminals B, C, and E, United has agreed to upgrade them as well. Last year, United and Houston Airports agreed to invest $2.6 billion to upgrade Terminal B.

"In 2023, Houston Airports welcomed a record 60.1 million passengers, with a vast majority flying through Bush Airport,” Szczesniak added. “It’s imperative that Houston Airports continue improve existing infrastructure to meet increasing demand while aligning our terminals to meet the modern and sustainable design of the new IAH international terminal. The end result of these projects will be a more resilient and sustainable airport system that delivers an efficient passenger experience from curb to gate.”

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This article originally ran on CultureMap.

The Access Houston Airports is optimized with tools for children with developmental disabilities to use during their travels in and out of Houston. Photo courtesy of the Houston Airport System

Houston Airport Systems launches app to improve accessibility

flight plan

Houston's two airports have a new digital tool to help its passengers with developmental disabilities better navigate their journey in and out of town.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport and William P. Hobby Airport have partnered with Chicago-based Autism innovation company, Infiniteach, to launch the Access Houston Airports mobile app. The free technology provides tools to children with autism or other conditions — as well as their caregivers — throughout their Houston Airport System experience.

"Houston Airports continues to embrace technology to go the extra mile to assist passengers of all abilities on their journey through our airports," says Jesus Saenz, Houston Airports' COO, in a news release.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 13 percent of the United states have an "invisible" developmental disability like autism. Tim Joniec, the director of government relations and Americans with Disability Act coordination at HAS, says in the release that this translates to 20,000 daily Houston travelers.

"Houston Airports is introducing this app to ease anxiety for these families and provide information and resources that will make their visit to the airport an engaging and meaningful experience," Joniec says in the release.

The app uses researched-based strategies and features, including guides, short picture stories, scheduling tool, checklist feature, as well as caregiver information like terminal maps and support.

The app launch is just one improvement HAS has made. The organization has also conducted employee disability awareness training, Aira technology for the blind or low vision, service dog familiarization training, and nonprofit involvement through Southwest Airlines and United Airlines' annual Wings for all event.

Users can set a schedule for themselves, which can give them some comfort as they travel and accomplish tasks. Courtesy of HAS

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Houston startup debuts bio-based 'leather' fashion collection in Milan

sustainable fashion

Earlier this month, Houston-based Rheom Materials and India’s conscious design studio Econock unveiled a collaborative capsule collection that signaled more than just a product launch.

Hosted at Lineapelle—long considered the global epicenter of the world's premier leather supply chain—in the vaulted exhibition halls of Rho-Fiera Milano, the collection centered around Rheom’s 91 percent bio-based leather alternative, Shorai.

It was a bold move, one that shifted sustainability from a concept discussed in panel sessions to garments that buyers could touch and wear.

The collection featured a bomber-style jacket, an asymmetrical skirt and a suite of accessories—all fabricated from Shorai.

The standout piece, a sculptural jacket featuring a funnel neck and dual-zip closure, was designed for movement, challenging assumptions about performance limitations in bio-based materials. The design of the asymmetrical skirt was drawn from Indian armored warrior traditions, according to Rheom, with biodegradable corozo fasteners.

Built as a modular wardrobe rather than isolated pieces, the collection reflects a shared belief between Rheom and Econock in designing objects that adapt to daily life, according to the companies.

The collection was born out of a new partnership between Rheom and Econock, focused on bringing biobased materials to the market. According to Rheom, the partnership solves a problem that has stalled the adoption of many next-gen textiles: supply chain friction.

While Rheom focuses on engineering scalable bio-based materials, New Delhi-based Econock brings the complementary design and manufacturing ecosystem that integrates artisans, circular materials and production expertise to translate the innovative material into finished goods.

"This partnership removes one of the biggest barriers brands face when adopting next-generation materials,” Megan Beck, Rheom’s director of product, shared in a news release. “By reducing friction across the supply chain, Rheom can connect brands directly with manufacturers who already know how to work with Shorai, making the transition to more sustainable materials far more accessible.”

Sanyam Kapur, advisor of growth and impact at Econock, added: “Our partnership with Rheom Materials represents the benchmark of responsible design where next-gen materials meet craft, creativity, and real-world scalability.”

Rheom, formerly known as Bucha Bio, has developed Shorai, a sustainable leather alternative that can be used for apparel, accessories, car interiors and more; and Benree, an alternative to plastic without the carbon footprint. In 2025, Rheom was a finalist for Startup of the Year in the Houston Innovation Awards.

Shorai is already used by fashion lines like Wuxly and LuckyNelly, according to Rheom. The company scaled production of the sugar-based material last year and says it is now produced in rolls that brands can take to market with the right manufacturer.

Houston startup debuts leather alternative fashion collection in Milan

Houston clean energy co. secures $100M to deploy tech on global scale

Going Global

Houston-based Utility Global has raised $100 million in an ongoing Series D round to globally deploy its decarbonization technology at an industrial scale.

The round was led by Ara Partners and APG Asset, according to a news release. Utility plans to use the funding to expand manufacturing, grow its teams and support its commercial developments and partnerships.

“This financing marks a critical step in Utility’s transition from a proven technology to full-scale global commercial execution,” Parker Meeks, CEO and president of Utility Global, said in the release. “Industrial customers are no longer looking for pilots or promises; they need deployable solutions that work within existing assets and deliver true economic industrial decarbonization today that is operationally reliable and highly scalable. Utility’s technology produces both economic clean hydrogen and capture-ready CO2 streams, and this capital enables us to scale and deploy that impact globally with speed, discipline, and rigor.”

Utility Global's H2Gen technology produces low-cost, clean hydrogen from water and industrial off-gases without requiring electricity. It's designed to integrate into existing industrial infrastructure in hard-to-abate assets in the steel, refining, petrochemical, chemical, low-carbon fuels, and upstream oil and gas sectors.

“Utility is tackling one of the most difficult challenges in the energy transition: decarbonizing hard‑to‑abate industrial sectors,” Cory Steffek, partner at Ara Partners and Utility Global board chair, said in the release. “What sets Utility apart is its ability to compete head‑to‑head with conventional fossil‑based solutions on cost and reliability, even as it materially reduces emissions. With this new funding, Utility is well-positioned for its next chapter of commercial growth while maintaining the technical excellence and capital discipline that have defined its development to date.”

Utility Global reached several major milestones in 2025. After closing a $53 million Series C, the company agreed to develop at least one decarbonization facility at an ArcelorMittal steel plant in Brazil. It also signed a strategic partnership with California-based Kyocera International Inc. to scale global manufacturing of its H2Gen electrochemical cells.

The company also partnered with Maas Energy Works, another California company, to develop a commercial project integrating Maas’ dairy biogas systems with H2Gen to produce economical, clean hydrogen.

"These projects were never intended to stand alone. They anchor a deep and growing pipeline of commercial projects now in development globally across steel, refining, chemicals, biogas and other hard-to-abate sectors worldwide, Meeks shared in a 2025 year-in-review note. He added that 2026 would be a year of "focused acceleration to scale."

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This article originally appeared on EnergyCapitalHTX.com.

Houston Methodist awarded $4M grant to recruit head of Neal Cancer Center

new hire

Armed with a $4 million state grant, the Houston Methodist Academic Institute has recruited a renowned expert in ovarian and endometrial cancer research to lead the Dr. Mary and Ron Neal Cancer Center.

The grant, provided by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, enabled the institute to lure Dr. Daniela Matei away from Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. There, she is the Diana Princess of Wales Professor in Cancer Research and chief of the Division of Reproductive Science in Medicine.

Matei will succeed Dr. Jenny Chang, who was hired last year to run the Houston Methodist Academic Institute.

At the Neal Cancer Center, located in the Texas Medical Center complex, oncologists work on innovations in cancer research, treatment, and technology. The center opened in 2021 after the Neals donated $25 million to expand Houston Methodist’s cancer research capabilities. It handles about 7,000 new cases each year involving more than two dozen types of cancer.

U.S. News & World Report puts Houston Methodist Hospital at No. 19 among the country’s best hospitals for cancer care, two spots below Chicago’s Northwestern Memorial Hospital. The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston sits at No. 1 on the list.

Matei’s research related to ovarian and endometrial cancer holds the potential to benefit tens of thousands of American women. The American Cancer Society estimates:

  • 21,010 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and 12,450 women will die from it.
  • 68,270 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with endometrial cancer, and 14,450 women will die from it.

Matei is leaving Northwestern in the wake of widespread cuts in federal funding for medical research. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has canceled or frozen tens of millions of dollars in grants for Northwestern, the Wall Street Journal reports, and the university has been plugging the gaps with its own money.

“The university is totally keeping us on life support,” Matei told the newspaper last year. “The big question is for how long they can do this.”

According to the Wall Street Journal, Matei’s $5 million NIH grant supporting 69 cancer trials has been caught up in the federal funding chaos, so Northwestern stepped in to cover trial expenses such as nurses’ salaries and diagnostic procedures.

Trial participants include some patients with rare, incurable tumors who are undergoing experimental treatments aligned with the genetics of their condition, the newspaper says.

“It’s certainly a life-and-death situation for cancer patients on these trials,” Matei said in 2025.

Matei is among the beneficiaries of more than $15 million in grants approved February 18 by CPRIT’s board. The grants went toward recruiting five cancer researchers to institutions in Texas.

One of those grants, totaling $1.5 million, went to the University of Houston to recruit Akash Gupta, a research scientist at MIT’s Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research. The remaining grants went to recruit scientists to The University of Texas at Dallas and The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
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